Phillies Scoop: Series finale with Pirates plays out in oddly familiar way

By DENNIS DEITCH

Thursday, April 25, 2013

PHILADELPHIA -- There were so many aspects of the Phillies' 6-4 loss to the Pirates Thursday afternoon that mirrored the previous night's 5-3 loss that replacing the names from Wednesday night's game story would nearly cover all the bases.

Roy Halladay spotted a 3-1 lead, only to see it evaporate, same with Cliff Lee. Jimmy Rollins runs into an out at the plate with runners at first and third and no outs; Chase Utley runs into an out at the plate in the same situation.

And in the bullpen, the day after Mike Adams had a meltdown that led to the go-ahead runs scoring, it was Phillippe Aumont's turn.

This has been a rough month for the bullpen, one that has been made all the more challenging in the last two weeks, since the Phillies can't seem to muster an above-average offensive performance more than once a week. In addition to having a wobbly 4.65 ERA as a unit, the relievers have allowed 60 hits and 29 walks in 60 innings and permitted 16 of 25 inherited runners (64 percent) to score. Last season the Phillies' bullpen, which didn't exactly receive high praise for its performance, allowed 56 of 174 (32 percent) of inherited runners to score.

The three runs Aumont allowed in the top of the eighth to turn a 3-3 game into a 6-3 Pittsburgh lead were the first runs he has allowed at Citizens Bank Park since being called up for the first time in the middle of last season. He entered the game with 13Î innings of scoreless work at home.

Roy Halladay didn't win Cy Young Awards for his hitting prowess. But the man knows when he's stinking the joint up at the plate.

Halladay was replaced for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the sixth Wednesday night and the Phils clinging to a 2-1 lead. That fact that the Phils had a chance to get an insurance run played into it. So did the fact that Halladay hasn't put a ball in play yet this season.

"I think if we have two outs and nobody on, I'm going to hit and go out and pitch the seventh," Halladay said. "I understand why I came out, and it worked (Kevin Frandsen delivered an RBI hit).

"You always want to go as deep as you can and pitch deep, but when you're 0-for-11 with 11 strikeouts and they have a man on third with a chance to extend the lead, they aren't going to let you hit."

At 0-for-11 with 11 strikeouts, Halladay is only seven strikeouts away from tying Daniel Cabrera's record of 18 consecutive strikeouts at the plate.

Of course, it took Cabrera six seasons, most spent with Baltimore, to rack up that total.

Halladay doesn't want that record, thank you.

"I blame (hitting coach) Wally Joyner for that," Halladay said jokingly. "Your priority isn't to hit, but you want to be able to make contact and make something happen. I've spent a lot of time with (Joyner) in the cage, and I think that's what's more frustrating than anything. You're putting in the time and the effort, and do things the way they should be done, and you still aren't getting the results.

"I think if I keep on that path I can get to a point where they will let me hit in a situation or bunt in a situation and extend an outing."

Ben Revere was out of the starting lineup, replaced in center field with Ezequiel Carrera (0-for-4, two Ks), whose time is running short to convince the Phillies that he should stick around when Delmon Young is ready to be activated from the disabled list.

Revere, who is hitting .207 with a .242 on-base percentage and just one extra-base hit (a triple) in 87 at-bats, said that a sore left quadriceps has been nagging him ever since a cold snap hit Clearwater late in spring training.

"I definitely (want to) rest this thing so it can fully heal," Revere said. "Charlie's like, 'It could be bothering you when you swing a little bit.' Sometimes my swing feels a little funky here and there because of that. I just need to give it time to rest fully and do all this treatment."

Revere thought he might be out of the lineup again tonight when the Phils open a three-game set against the Mets, but that he thought he would start at some point over the weekend. Young, who was batting third and in right field for Triple-A Lehigh Valley Thursday night, could be activated for the start of a two-game interleague series in Cleveland, where he could serve as a designated hitter.